Frustrated by gopher holes marring his lawn, a homeowner
in Yankton, S.D., dropped a smoke bomb down a hole to flush out the varmint.
Unfortunately the bomb ignited a gas line that the critter had chewed through, causing a
explosion. The resident suffered flash burns; the gopher's condition was unknown.

Escargot cult: Snails crawl over the face of a woman during a demonstration of a new beauty
treatment at the salon Ci:z.Labo in Tokyo. Supposedly the slime from the gastropods restores skin by removing old cells and moisturizing sunburn.

Photo: Yoshikazu Tsuno, AFP/Getty Images

Escargot cult: Snails crawl over the face of a woman during a...

Escargot cult: Snails crawl over the face of a woman during a... Photo-4918449.66365 - SFGate

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The suspects are described as short, hairy and wearing masks: A second-story burglary ring has been hitting homes in Gadsen, Ala.

Photo: Eric T. Wright, Associated Press

The suspects are described as short, hairy and wearing masks: A...

The suspects are described as short, hairy and wearing masks: A... Photo-4903281.66365 - SFGate

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OK if I park here? Doug Fitton of Open Road Paving was just about done laying concrete at the corner of Main and
Broadway in Urbana, Ill., when a motorist decided to ignore the pylons.

Photo: Robin Scholz, Associated Press

OK if I park here? Doug Fitton of Open Road Paving was just about...

OK if I park here? Doug Fitton of Open Road Paving was just about... Photo-4918438.66365 - SFGate

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Nightmare for lifeguards: Capacity at a water park in Wuhan, China, is when you can no longer see the water.

Photo: Associated Press

Nightmare for lifeguards: Capacity at a water park in Wuhan, China,...

Nightmare for lifeguards: Capacity at a water park in Wuhan,... Photo-4918430.66365 - SFGate

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Slip, slide and splash: Heather Meier flies off her tube at the end of the giant slip-and-slide during the Paul
Bunyan Extreme 5K at Mount Ski Gull in Nisswa, Minn.

Photo: Kelly Humphrey, Associated Press

Slip, slide and splash: Heather Meier flies off her tube at the end...

Dan's kind of an antique himself: Tractor pull fans watch in suspense as Dan Longnecker
slowly moves down the strip on his John Deere 720 dragging a 20,000-pound sled behind him
during the Red River Valley Antique Tractor Club’s tractor pull in Paris, Texas.

From Russia with sub: Vladimir Putin descends aboard Sea Explorer 5 bathyscaphe near the
isle of Gogland in the Gulf of Finland. The Russian president got a close-up look at the
frigate Oleg, which sunk in 1869.

Typhoon's calling card: Huge waves slam a seawall in Wenling as eastern China braces for
Typhoon Soulik. Fortunately, the storm was downgraded a tropical low pressure after hundreds of thousands were evacuated from the coast.

Home furnishings take a beating as police attempt to prevent the Orange Order from marching through a Catholic republican area of Belfast, Northern Ireland, during the Order's annual parade commemorating King William of Orange's victory in 1690. Damages presumably were limited to furniture that can be thrown - end tables, small cabinets, TV trays, etc.

Photo: Peter Muhly, AFP/Getty Images

Home furnishings take a beating as police attempt to prevent the...

Home furnishings take a beating as police attempt to prevent the... Photo-4913558.66365 - SFGate

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A 500-pound World War II bomb explodes in a controlled detonation on the beach in
Wannenaar, Netherlands. The bomb was discovered during excavation work by Gasunie, the state natural gas company, between Gouda and Zoetermeer.

Photo: Robin Utrecht, AFP/Getty Images

A 500-pound World War II bomb explodes in a controlled detonation...

A 500-pound World War II bomb explodes in a controlled detonation... Photo-4918453.66365 - SFGate

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I'm not winking at you ... Your beak is stuck in my eye. (Snowy owlets, Hannover Zoo in Hannover, Germany.)

Photo: Jochen Luebke, Associated Press

I'm not winking at you ... Your beak is stuck in my eye. (Snowy...

I'm not winking at you ... Your beak is stuck in my eye.... Photo-4907984.66365 - SFGate

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That's an eyeful: Fireworks burst around the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Bastille Day.